Just For Giggles...

IN THE EARLY 2000’S, THE VIDEOGAMING WORLD CHANGED.
FPS, RPG, ALL WERE IN UPHEAVAL...THE INDUSTRY
TRANSFORMED INTO A POISONOUS SCORCHED DESERT, KNOWN
AS "A PILE OF SHIT"

MILLIONS OF GAMERS PURCHASED FROM A FEW PUBLISHERS
ELITIST INSTITUTIONS WHERE ROVING BANDS OF NARCISSITIC KOTCK’S CREATED
TRASH THE GAMERS COULD NOT ENJOY. FUN
AS WE KNOW IT COLLAPSED.
FROM THE DECAY ROSE A NEW ORDER.
AN INDUSTRY RULED BY A NEW ELITE FORCE.....A FORCE
WITH THE POWER TO CREATE BOTH AMUSING AND
ORIGINAL MATERIAL....
THEY WERE THE DEVS, TESTERS AND PUBLISHER ALL IN
ONE.

THEY WERE THE INDIE DEVELOPERS.



Betamax also provided something simillar:

IN 2010 A CRACK CREATIVE TEAM WAS DISCIPLINED FOR INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. THEY PROMPTLY ESCAPED FROM A MAXIMUM SECURITY CUBICLE FARM TO THE INTERWEB UNDERGROUND. TODAY, STILL WANTED BY KOTCK, THEY SURVIVE AS CODERS OF FORTUNE. IF YOU HAVE A CONCEPT, IF NOONE ELSE CAN HELP, AND IF YOU CAN FIND THEM, MAYBE YOU CAN HIRE... THE DEV-TEAM.

Liam Fox, UK Minister Of Defence Wants To Ban New Medal Of Honour Game.

More stupidity from a government regarding videogames today. Sadly, it’s not the Australian government this time (who are usually behind most national level attempts to screw up games), it’s a figure within my own British overlords, namely the Minster of Defence, Liam Fox.

He’s urging a ban on the new Medal of Honour game because it’s possible to play as the Taliban attacking British troops*.

Now, I can sort of see where he’s coming from with this, Afghanistan is an ongoing conflict, there’s still a lot of raw memories and grieving families, and this may well be “too soon”, as they say. But still, urging a ban? Come on.

If he doesn’t like it, Liam Fox has every right to speak out against Medal of Honour, but this guy is the Minister of Defence. He has no right, no basis on which he can call for a ban on any product, unless maybe it somehow compromises national security.

Even if it is “too soon” to be making entertainment material out of the Afghanistan conflict, that’s a matter of poor taste. Since when was poor taste worth banning something? Roy Chubby Brown has made a career out of bad taste. Do we ban him? How about Bernard Manning? Well known for racial and cultural abuse and slurs, and yet again he has a career.

This is another example of the double standards present when people look at videogames in comparison to other forms of entertainment. Okay, they’re an interactive medium, but at the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s cops and robbers, and someone needs to play the robbers.

Perhaps Mr Fox would prefer it if Medal of Honour’s multiplayer mode featured British soldiers shooting other British soldiers? Or perhaps American troops versus British troops? Would that be any more acceptable?

And on a serious note, let’s not forget that every conflict has two sides. Mr Fox shows no distaste at the idea of glorifying British troops killing the Taliban. At the end of the day, war is shit: It’s two groups of people killing each other. The Taliban are still people, and it’s important we don’t let the government dehumanise them. By all means, we should support our troops (even if you oppose the war, they don’t get a say in where they’re sent), but that doesn’t mean we should gloss over the fact that they are killing people. It’s not just British families who are suffering due to this conflict.

I wonder if Mr Fox’s Taliban counterpart feels the same way? :D


Further Reading:

BBC
Guardian

* EA also say that there are no British troops in the game- they're all American.


UPDATE:
Some troops share their thoughts on the matter

Online Gaming? Nah.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I’ve been working on my novel and also moving house, so time has been short! Still, I’m more or less back now, so let’s take a look at today’s topic- MMO’s and online gaming.

I never really got into MMO’s in a big way. Like everyone out there I’ve played WoW. I’ve also had a few spins on Guildwars, played several browser based MMO’s such as Planetarion, Astronest and Star Sphere. I’ve also got a character in EvE online.

Still, despite all of this I’ve never really enjoyed them. For me, gaming is a personal experience. I enjoy the story and narrative of games, and it’s much easier to appreciate these things when you play alone. There are exceptions however, but even with games like Gears of War or Perfect Dark (which are best played with other people), I prefer to play with a small group of friends- preferably in the same building with a pile of junkfood and beers.

I think I had enough of the anonymity of the internet when I was younger. I used to play online with games like StarCraft and Half life, and I just didn’t enjoy them. I’ve also gone online with most of the Command and Conquer games and while I love these games in single player mode, multiplayer is a totally different animal.

When I play games with other people it’s a social event. We chat, we drink, we pontificate and argue, we insult each other and then add injury by means of a virtual bullet in the back. When playing a game online with someone you don’t know, you don’t get that sort of interaction. We’re taught (quite rightly) from an early age to never give out any personal information over the internet. This means having a chat with someone is pretty much impossible. You can talk about the game, maybe some other games as well, but by and large most discussions are taboo.

The problem isn't just a social one, the gameplay changes hugely when you go online too.

RTS games are some of my favourite titles, and playing those online is pointless. Simply put, the strategy part of these games goes out the window. All RTS games when played human V human revolve around one principle- there is a correct way to win depending on the level you're playing and your starting location. The player who completes that set build queue and gives those orders the fastest wins, assuming neither of them makes a screw up. How is that entertaining? That’s not pitting minds or reflexes- it’s about who has the macro keyboard or the fastest fingers. This rigidity is a problem common to almost every game I’ve played online, even to a degree in FPS games (use this specific gun for this level).

That's a rant for another time though.

Many people claim that MMOs offer a more social aspect to game play, as you often need to work in teams to achieve your goals. In my experience, this has amounted to being forced into a packed elevator with a bunch of strangers. Or taking the London underground during rush hour. There’s a big difference between social interaction, and simply being at the same time and place as another person. Working with people in MMO’s was often a painful experience, due in part to the fact 90% of the people you meet online are pricks, and also because just like in RTS games there was a set method to complete these tasks with very little leeway offered. Everyone just stood there and did what was needed- there was no planning, no interaction or anything like that- the other characters with me may as well have been NPCs.

The best MMO I’ve played for the social aspect, and for gameplay, is EvE online. Working as part of a fleet in that game was very fun, and the fact that players are responsible for everything leads to a feeling that what you are doing really matters. You work with people because there are tangible benefits for all of you. Because there are no fixed ‘arenas’, you can never be sure how combat will go- what will the enemy bring? Can you handle it? Where do you try to engage? There are options- no set, unchanging right way to win. The victors are the group who did the best prep, got the best intel, picked the best target and gave the best fight. This beats reading a strat guide and following it to the letter any day.

This praise aside though, EvE still doesn’t hold lasting appeal to me because as I have said, at the end of the day, gaming is a personal thing for me, or something to enjoy with a few friends. I don’t like the type of interaction you get when playing online with strangers. Even playing online with friends just isn't the same as having them in the same room as you. Obviously I’m in a minority here, but hey, it offers something to think about.

I remember getting involved in a Mechwarrior clan back in the days of Mechwarrior 3. I’d impressed one of their recruiters by using the shutdown on my mech to hide myself and (try to) ambush them. We had a few goods games and some good laughs, but I drifted away from them after a couple of months. Even though I was enjoying it, for some reason it fell into the trap I always have playing games online- I just got bored with it.

I’m rambling a lot now, so I'll close by summarizing the points I’m trying to make about why I don’t like MMOs, or playing online in general:

1. The social aspect is no substitute for an ‘IRL’ social gaming event.
2. A lot of the people you meet online are dicks.
3. Games change a lot when online, usually becoming far more rigid.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts on the matter, make of them what you will. Just don't expect me to be gaming on live anytime soon.

Resonance of Fate

Well, I'm moving house soon and money is tight. It's getting harder and harder not to cave in and buy Star Craft II, but I'm a rock. If I can accidentally quit smoking, I'm sure I can consciously not buy Star Craft II. I've played through Dragon Age: Origins and I'm done with that now. Fight Night Round 4 is also starting to get stale, but I look forwards to picking it up again in a few months and it being fresh and entertaining again. It's a game that recycles well.

Nothing else on my shelf has any appeal at the moment, I'm not really in the mood to replay most of them, and the ones I haven't completed (Just Cause 2, Tom Clancey's Endwar, Mirror's Edge and Resonance of Fate) 'aint calling me. It's a shame about Resonance of Fate because I was really enjoying that one. Sadly, while the battle mechanics are new, interesting and hugely entertaining, they wear out pretty fast. And the writing is just... Well, the setting is really good, and I'm sure there's a subtle attack on our increasing dependence on technology, and a very, VERY clever metaphor for environmentalism too, but it seems one member of the writing staff just can't stop making tit jokes. It's a horrible, hideous tumor on what could have been one of the best written, most engaging and deep stories since FFVII- an accolade I do not offer lightly. Instead we get half an hour of intense atmospheric build up, very well executed metaphor and fantastic world crafting (even if the characters are very bland)... followed by a string of puerile boob jokes that a fifteen year old wouldn't find funny. And yes, there are some Dead Or Alive jiggle physics thrown in too.

I'm not a prude, I have no problem with these jokes in and of themselves, but they just clash so horribly with what is otherwise a very mature script. Betamax claims that I get too hung up on the little problems with games, things that “Other people learn to accept”. I'd argue against it, but for the most part he has a point. Still, I maintain that when a problem keeps coming at you over and over and over again, it can be classified as a big issue. Resonance of Fate's writing is one such thing. It's not just the boob jokes, they're an example of the problem. The real issue just lies in the classic anime comedic swing, the tactic of generating laughs by creating ludicrous situations and throwing out comedy stereotypes.

I've always hated comedy anime for that reason- I just don't find Japanese humour funny (Ed is a stain on Cowboy Bebop, without her the whole thing would have been so much better). But the fact they're attempting such regular comedy relief while at the same time having such a layered and engaging story and setting (a wonderful steampunk world) is in and of itself jarring, regardless of how such humour is attempted. Simply put, this is not a world or story that requires comic relief of any variety. The fact these comedy relief scenes are shoe horned into the narrative in such a ham-fisted manner doesn't help. Remember in FFVII when Cloud has to dress up in drag to infiltrate Don Coreno's place? It was a well done bit of comedy relief, it had a logical build up, a funny execution and most importantly even though it was a classic farce, it didn't actually jar with the story. It was worked into it.

In Resonance of Fate, characters sit around talking about the human race and the apocalypse and the reliance on the machine Basel to survive.... fade to black... oh look Zephyr got caught trying to peek at Leanne in the bath! And now he's defending himself by saying she's flat chested. And oh how funny she slaps him across the face. And he has a big hand shaped bruise. I'm sorry, but were you not just running an allegory to global warming? Eh? Now you're cutting to someone who I can only assume is our antagonist and... Dear God I have mental whiplash. This happens about every half hour.

How would you feel if you where watching the Dark Knight and every ten minutes Batman started giggling and doing a funny little jig? Then he went back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. It wouldn't be funny would it? It would be out of place, annoying and detract from the whole movie in a BIG way. That is how Resonance of Fate's story plays out.

I really should listen to Betamax and just try to get past it, but it isn't just the writing that keeps putting me off. Like I said the mechanics, while unlike any other game I have ever played (Innovation? From a JRPG? The horror) just start to wear thin after a few hours. Maybe they'll be something to freshen the formula up if I keep playing though? I don't know, and I just don't feel inclined to risk my time finding out.

I'll probably write a review on Resonance of Fate sometime, or maybe make a video. I can at least talk about the graphics, gameplay and premise a bit. For all it's flaws, it's still a game I think people should try, at the very least just to remind them that there is some real innovation still left in the industry. That and of course you- being the discerning type- will want to know more about this allegedly deep and layered back plot. We shall see.

Wow, this post was supposed to about Crackdown. Sorry. I'll make a proper post on that in a day or two. Suffice to say I just got Crackdown (the original, not the sequel), and I'm having a pretty good time with it! I'd even say as sandbox style blow shit up shooters go, it's actually superior Just Cause 2. Still, I will talk more on this soon.

Until next time.
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